Chutney is a pickle dish that originated in India, but is eaten in different variations in many countries in the world. The pickle side dishes known as chutneys can be made from a wide array of fruits — either from one fruit alone or in combinations of two or more fruits. Mango, mint, coconut, date, apple and plum are just some of the different types of chutney available today.

Mango chutney is one of the most popular chutneys. It is often both sweet and spicy in flavor. Cinnamon, ginger and honey are common ingredients in mango chutney and many people consider it absolutely delicious with poultry.

Mint chutney is often served as a cooling accompaniment to spicy foods such as curries. It is also known for serving alongside sea foods or lamb. Mint chutney is often flavored with lime juice. Dill and fennel may also be added.

Coconut chutney is very popular in South Indian cooking. It may accompany a steamed rice cake called idli. Curry leaves and sesame oil are some flavorings commonly used in coconut chutney. Coconut is often used in combination with other chutneys such as mango.

Date chutney is usually flavored with cinnamon and honey and is very versatile. It may be served with cheese and crackers or with an elegant salmon dinner. Some people also like date chutney with poultry dishes.

Ad

Apples can be combined with date chutney to form an apple-date chutney. Both apple and apple-date chutneys are commonly served with pork. Apple chutney is usually flavored with cinnamon, but could also have curry powder added.

Plum chutney is often served with duck or ham. It is also quite popular served with cheeses, especially sharper varieties such as cheddar. Some cooks use plum chutney as a marinade for meats or poultry. It can also be substituted for cranberry sauce at holiday dinners. Plum chutney is sweet and sour and usually has a fair amount of sugar added along with the vinegar.

Ad

Recommended

You might also Like

Related wiseGEEK Articles

Discuss this Article

sunshinedPost 4

I am not usually all that keen on trying something that I am not familiar with. For the most part I am a pretty picky eater and shy away from trying new foods. That can be hard to do if you are visiting someone and you want to eat what is being served to you.

I recently went to a family dinner where they served lamb with mint chutney. I didn't want to offend the host so ate a serving of this dish and must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I think the combination of mint and lamb was much better being served together. Chutney isn't something I would go out of my way to eat, but it wasn't too bad.

I love the combination of the sweet and spicy taste that chutney has. I have a favorite mango chutney recipe that I love to serve with roasted chicken. Serving the chicken with chutney adds so much more to the meat than just eating plain chicken.

My recipe calls for both mangoes and raisins and you get both the sweet and sour by adding sugar and vinegar along with ginger, clove and onion. Some people may look at that list and wonder how they can taste good together but you just have to try it to understand.

When I served this to my brother who claims he doesn't like mangoes, he couldn't get enough of it. He still won't sit down and eat a mango by itself, but he does love the mango chutney I make.

@andee -- Making your own homemade chutney does take some effort and some time, but it does make quite a bit at once that you can have for future use. I know when I go about making a batch of my favorite fruit chutney, it will make about 6 pints. We don't have chutney all that much, so that will last us for quite some time.

When I had Thanksgiving dinner at a friends house she served ham with a plum chutney. As far as I know this was the first time I had eaten chutney and thought it was a perfect complement to the meat.

She made it sound like it was a breeze to make and started explaining to me how she made it. It may have been easy for her, for it sounded complicated to me and that it would also take quite a bit of time. With all the other dishes she had to make for the dinner, I am surprised that she took the time to make homemade chutney along with everything else.

Post your comments

Please enter the code:

Login

Register

Make changes/additions/deletions to the article below, and one of our editors will publish your suggestions if warranted.

Optional: Explanation of your recommended changes

Thank You!

One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted.
Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive,
this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!